Battle of Lewisham

The Battle of Lewisham occurred on 13 August 1977, when 500 members of the far-right National Front (NF) attempted to march from New Cross to Lewisham in southeast London and various counter-demonstrations by approximately 4,000 people led to violent clashes between the two groups and between the anti-NF demonstrators and police. 5,000 police officers were present and 56 officers were injured (11 of whom were hospitalised) and 214 people were arrested. Later disturbances in Lewisham town centre saw the first use of police riot shields on the UK mainland.

In the mid-1970s New Cross and surrounding areas of south London became the focus of intense and sometimes violent political activity by neo-Nazis and members of the National Front (led by John Tyndall) and a breakaway faction (the National Party led by John Kingsley Read). In 1976 these two organisations between them polled more votes in a local ward election (to Lewisham London Borough Council) than the Labour Party. In response to this, the All Lewisham Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (ALCARAF) was launched with the support of local trade unions and anti-racist and anti-fascist groups.

On 30 May 1977, the police staged dawn raids in south-east London and arrested twenty-one young black people including a 24-year-old woman, in connection with a series of muggings. Following the arrests, the police said that they believed the "gang" were responsible "for 90 per cent of the street crime in south London over the past six months." They appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on 1 June 1977, charged with various offences of "conspiracy to rob." During the hearings, some of the defendants fought with the police while spectators in the public gallery attempted to invade the court. The Lewisham 21 Defence Committee was set up soon after. They heavily criticised police tactics.

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